Ashes 2023: England women break ticket sales record ahead of multi-format cricket series this June

With only 99 days to go until the Women’s Ashes series begins in England, ticket sales have broken a new record with over 55,000tickets already sold. This figure has equated to more than all of England’s games in 2022. The Women’s multi-series event will start one week after the men’s and it will be the Test match to kick start the tournament. Their one-off Test match is the only red-ball match of 2023.

England will be hoping to regain the Ashes after Australia won the 2021-22 series. Australia also won the last series which was played in England in 2019 and the total attendance was 32,281. Not only does the series appear to be breaking attendance records, but it will also be the first year the men’s and women’s Ashes are being played alongside on a joint platform and without any fixture clashes.

Edgbaston will host one of three T20 matches and the ground has already sold 14,000 tickets, looking set to break the previous record of 15,000 for a single fixture, when England played India at Lord’s in 2022.

England have already played their final match before the Ashes series begins in June. The recent T20 World Cup saw them sweep through the group stages to reach the semi-final against hosts South Africa. A rapid batting line-up from the host nation, which included Tamzin Brits scoring 68 and Laura Wolvaardt hitting 53, however meant England failed to reach the final fixture.

When is the Women’s Ashes series?

Test match: Thursday 22 June - Monday 26 June 2023

T20 Series:

• Saturday 1 July, Edgbaston
• Wednesday 5 July, Kia Oval
• Saturday 8 July, Lord’s

ODI Series:

• Wednesday 12 July, Bristol
• Sunday 16 July, Ageas Bowl
• Tuesday 18 July, Taunton

What’s been said?

Speaking to PA news ahead of yesterday’s International Women’s Day, England captain Heather Knight said: “I’m super excited, obviously. Kicking (The Ashes) off with a Test match at Trent Bridge is super cool. I think everyone’s super excited for the men’s Ashes, the way Ben and his team are playing, the excitement around. This is certainly going to be a blockbuster series.

Hopefully we can play some really entertaining cricket as well as both have lots of success. I think what we’ve started to do as a team, we’ve started to build something, a real sort of identity of how we want to play things and how we want to move things forward (to) keep pushing the boundaries of the game. That’s a real focus for us - to entertain and play exciting cricket - so I certainly think it’s going to be a blockbuster series.”

Nat Sciver-Brunt, England’s vice-captain and joint most expensive overseas player in the WPL, has said: “It’s really exciting, and a big crowd makes such a difference. The prospect of playing in front of a full Lord’s or Edgbaston is pretty cool, it’s what you grow up watching. We want to play in front of the biggest crowds we can and hopefully put on a show for them.”